The city of 8.5 million will elect Boris Johnson’s successor in May 2016. While the movement is likely a political pipe dream, powerful Brits publicly backed the idea — perhaps seeking mayoral bans on fizzy pop, black cabs and high-calorie bangers and mash. Steve Hilton, a trusted adviser to British Prime Minister David Cameron, is urging Bloomberg to run, the newspaper reported. * Bloomberg friends claim he's 'considering' London mayor run (NYDN) * London Mayor Boris Johnson surmised news stories about some of his constituents touting Michael Bloomberg as a potential successor were designed as a test balloon on his candidacy, the Observer reports * London Mayor Boris Johnson surmised news stories about some of his constituents touting Michael Bloomberg as a potential successor were designed as a test balloon on his candidacy, the Observer reports: * Though he lost his legal battle to ban super-sized sugary drinks, the percentage of New York City high school students drinking “soda or pop” plummeted during ex-Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s last term at City Hall, a federal survey reveals.* Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of London? (NYT) True, there’s much he could do here — starting with the trans fats in fish and chips.* The Nation’s D. D. Guttenplan in the Times delves into former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s potential run for mayor of London, suggesting various reasons why he might qualify for the job * Bloomberg has “zero interest” in being mayor of London. * At Bloomberg LP, the boss’ desk is “exactly the same size as everyone else’s.”

Bloomberg Quiet On de Blasio

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg—famous for bluntly saying whatever is on his mind—kept his promise not to criticize his successor, de Blasio, during de Blasio's first year in office, the Daily News reports:

Bloomberg Continues the Tradition of NY Mayors Making An Impact on Foreign Policy

Tablet Magazine* CITY HALL MANAGES A CRISIS -- Insiders discuss their strategy: While Bill de Blasio vacations in Italy, top City Hall officials gave the Times and Eyewitness News a tick-tock, behind the scene look at how they handled the aftermath of Eric Garner’s death. The administration allied itself with Garner’s family, expressing sympathy for their loss, removing the gun and the badge from the main officer involved, and signaling deeper change is coming to the NYPD. In the long run, the administration will be judged by what tangible changes come to the NYPD in the wake of Garner’s death. * BLOOMBERG SPARS WITH STATE DEPARTMENT, WOLF BLITZER -- Capital’s Sally Goldenberg: Former mayor Michael Bloomberg said he "couldn't disagree more" with the U.S State Department's travel warning for Israel during a contentious televised interview on Wednesday afternoon. "Everybody seems comfortable," Bloomberg said, standing beside Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat during an interview on CNN with Wolf Blitzer. Bloomberg grew testy when Blitzer followed up by asking if the department's decision was "political." "Don't be ridiculous. Why would you think that?" Bloomberg began, calling the question "an outrage."* WARM WELCOME: Former Mayor Bloomberg gets presidential treatment on supportive visit to Israel(NYDN)* Mayor's Absence During Garner Ordeal Draws Ire(WSJ)

12 Years of Mayor Bloomberg(NYT) When he walked into the mayor’s office 12 years ago, businessman and
billionaire Michael Bloomberg took charge of a damaged city. In a modest speech
at an intentionally modest inauguration, Mr. Bloomberg nevertheless
pledged to rebuild and renew New York and to keep it “the capital of the
free world.” As he leaves office this week, Mr. Bloomberg has, in many
ways,
fulfilled that promise. New York is once again a thriving, appealing
city where, Mr. Bloomberg boasts, more people are moving in than out.
Despite the occasional mistake, he hired mostly top-notch professionals
without political pedigrees, and challenged them to try new ideas.

Bloomberg Hurt the Poor, Homeless and Minorities

Yet as Mr. de Blasio’s election showed, opportunity and prosperity have
been unevenly distributed. The homeless population has grown, and for a
great many others, the paychecks have been too small, the rents too
high. And in perhaps his worst mistake — authorizing a police practice
found unconstitutional by a federal court — Mr. Bloomberg and Police
Commissioner Raymond Kelly humiliated and alienated black and Hispanic
communities by having stop-and-frisk turn into a generalized method of
harassing law-abiding citizens.

A master of numbers, Mr. Bloomberg displayed few political skills. His
unscripted comments, especially about the poor, can range from
thoughtless to heartless. The increase in the homeless population on his watch was not entirely
his doing; both Albany and Washington pulled the plug on necessary
programs. But Mr. Bloomberg aggravated matters by canceling a sound
public housing strategy, thus sending more people to the streets and to
homeless shelters

Bloomberg Built Housing

He rezoned almost half the city, hoping to turn (and in some cases
actually turning) industrial deserts into sites for skyscrapers or
residential housing — among them Hunter’s Point South, with thousands of
new affordable units

Bloomberg Created A Healthier City

He created a healthier city, where smokers are now taboo in many public
and private spaces, where calory counts are publicized and where trans
fats are forbidden. He opened 800 acres of outdoor space, much of it
along the city’s shorelines, expanded bike lanes to cover more than 600
miles and added a fleet of Citi bikes for tourists and commuters. He
fought to reduce greenhouse gases, approved a balanced plan to dispose
of the city’s enormous waste stream, and, after initially rejecting
recycling as too costly, became a strong advocate of it. Using private
funds, including his own, he helped create new parks like the High Line
and the new greenway on Governors Island. After Hurricane Sandy, he
began updating building codes and created a long-range plan to help
defend the city against future storms.

Bloomberg's Green Taxis, High Tech and 311

The mayor’s team helped him in less dramatic but still useful ways.
There’s a new green apple taxi fleet for the outer boroughs and broad
pedestrian-friendly plazas on Times Square. He made it possible for a
splendid new high-tech university campus to be built on Roosevelt
Island. He established the 311 telephone number to help people with
routine problems like malfunctioning traffic lights, noise complaints
and questions about trash pickup on snowy days.

CityTime Corruption and Buying Political Party Lines
Mr. Bloomberg’s efforts to modernize the city payroll became a scandal. By the end of the investigation,
eight people were convicted of cheating the city out of millions of
dollars. And his donations to political parties to gain favor and ballot
lines were an embarrassment, though not illegal.

ON BLOOMBERG:Some
of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s top aides over the years, from Dan
Doctoroff to Ed Skyler to Stu Loeser, reflect on his 12 years in City
Hall * Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Deputy Mayor Robert
Steel and other officials have made it clear to the New York City
Council that they are determined to finish public reviews for $12
billion worth of “legacy projects” before leaving office, The New York Times writes:* Final 15 of @MikeBloomberg: promises to visit all 5 boroughs and launches new website: * Bloomberg 'won't get involved' in local politics (Capital)* Mayor Michael Bloomberg quipped that
he would start a career as a Santa Claus after he left office and made
it clear that he does not plan to run for president, the Daily News writes:

A Mayor and a Broadcaster Sign Off (WSJ)
Mayor
Michael Bloomberg's is leaving office but is also signing off from a
weekly radio show where he shared candid—and often polarizing Q&amp;A With John GamblingGuns .@MikeBloomberg
says there are 4 x as many gun dealers in the country as McDonalds
restaurants.* "It’s been a very long time that we’ve had a poor economy
upstate and lots of governors have tried to do something," Bloomberg.
Every NY governor, Mayor Michael Bloomberg says, has taken city money to
subsidize upstate.* After 500 radio shows, @MikeBloomberg takes final caller q from parent angry about the rapid implementation of the common core curriculum *

The New Yorkerextensively profiled Mayor Michael Bloomberg‘s
legacy while noting his discontent with his possible successors: “In
early June, the Mayor, according to two Bloomberg advisers, was
sympathetic to an effort by some of his supporters to draw Ray Kelly into the race. Bloomberg secretly financed a poll … to help convince Kelly that he could win, but Kelly declined.”_____________________________________After Bloomberg

BLOOMBERG’S
BIG PLANS for his post-mayoralty: sources
familiar with his thinking say he intends to spend a few weeks on
vacation,
after which he’ll get to work on blending his philanthropic activity,
political
advocacy and business pursuits on a massive scale. His foundation,
Bloomberg Philanthropies, will continue to
focus on public health, education, the environment, the arts and urban
innovation. His Independence USA super PAC, which can get directly
involved in
elections, will keep pushing on guns and immigration. He’ll also
continue to
facilitate the political activity of Mayors Against Illegal Guns. And as
Capital first reported, he’ll involve himself in Bloomberg View, the
opinion
arm of Bloomberg LP, and provide guidance to other parts of the
busines. Pointing to Bloomberg Philanthropies’ previous involvement
in anti-obesity advertising and research in Mexico, a source familiar
with the
mayor’s plans said, “We’ll look to see whether or not the soda tax can
be
replicated in municipalities or states in this country.”

REPUBLICANS WITHOUT BLOOMBERG'S MONEY — Party braces for life without it — Capital's Jimmy Vielkind:
The billionaire mayor, whose term on New York's political stage will
expire at the end of the year, has been a major benefactor of several
local Republican fundraising committees, including the soft money
“housekeeping” account that boost G.O.P. efforts to gain and maintain
power in the State Senate. http://goo.gl/LEirJ8

Mike’s “protection money” muffled a rowdy town. The city’s going to be noisy again.
One of Mike Bloomberg’s signal accomplishments
in New York City was reversing the flow of corruption. In the old days,
and in every other city in the world most days, favor-seekers bribe
politicians — with cash in envelopes, with legal contributions, or with
political support. In Mike Bloomerg’s New York, the mayor bribed you,
buying the silence or cooperation of individuals, cultural
organizations, and social service
groups with hundreds in millions of dollars spent on small personal
favors — a legal payment here, a medical procedure there — and
charitable contributions.

12 Years the Media Was Silent On Bloomberg's Hush Money

"Secret Lubricant of Urban Consensus"
As
a liberal Democrat, Bill De Blasio,
takes power in January, his biggest challenge will not be keeping crime
down or funding an ambitious expansion of early education. It will be
dealing with the explosion of Bloomberg’s machine after the grease of
money is gone and the gears start sticking. Bloomberg’s wealth, and his
generosity, “was protection money. In many
ways it inoculated him from potential criticism and stimulated people to
do things that they might not have or shouldn’t have done,” says Doug
Muzzio, a professor of public affairs at New York’s Baruch College.
“Now the pie is smaller and the needs are larger, in the end there’s
going to be enhanced conflict. And it’s going to take place in the halls
of City Hall. It’s going to be the old days.”* Mayor Bloomberg’s cash
and his willingness to spread it around, “was protection money,”
says Baruch College Prof. Doug Muzzio. De Blasio doesn’t have that kind
of personal wealth to silence critics and reward allies.

Future Owner of the NYT Bloomberg, Who Hates the NYT, is Reviews By the NYT

Bloomberg legacy Will Be Based On How Much the Next Mayor Screws Up Poll Shows New Yorkers Are Deeply Conflicted Over Bloomberg’s Legacy(NYT)
Fifty-five percent of New Yorkers surveyed this month said Mayor Michael
R. Bloomberg cared “some” or “a lot” about the needs and problems of
people like themselves.Bloomberg’s health initiatives have won over New Yorkers, but the public
is less enamored of his overall mayoralty, The New York Times found.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg deflected all
questions about his legacy at a press conference Wednesday, declaring he
has done "more in the third term than any administration's ever done Asked to Reflect, Bloomberg Grumbles Instead(NYT)
Mayor Michael Bloomberg was especially testy
at a press conference yesterday. “I really have no idea. All I can do
is tell you what we’ve done. If you want to write that, or if you want
to make up some stuff, that’s totally up to you. I have no idea,” he
said when asked why voters want the city to move in a new direction.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg on his next step in life:
“I’ve said I’m not a consultant. I would want to own the company. I’m
not a teacher. I want to learn, but that’s not my bag. I’m not an
investor. I delegate that to others. I’m not an author. I wrote one
book, did a book party, know what it’s like.”* Mayor Michael Bloomberg who fought to
limit the size of sugary sodas in theaters and trans fats in restaurants
said his ideal meal is a peanut butter and bacon sandwich on white
bread, the Daily News writes:

Mike’s “protection money” muffled a rowdy town. The city’s going to be noisy again.
One of Mike Bloomberg’s signal accomplishments
in New York City was reversing the flow of corruption. In the old days,
and in every other city in the world most days, favor-seekers bribe
politicians — with cash in envelopes, with legal contributions, or with
political support. In Mike Bloomerg’s New York, the mayor bribed you,
buying the silence or cooperation of individuals, cultural
organizations, and social service
groups with hundreds in millions of dollars spent on small personal
favors — a legal payment here, a medical procedure there — and
charitable contributions.

12 Years the Media Was Silent On Bloomberg's Hush Money

"Secret Lubricant of Urban Consensus"
As
a liberal Democrat, Bill De Blasio,
takes power in January, his biggest challenge will not be keeping crime
down or funding an ambitious expansion of early education. It will be
dealing with the explosion of Bloomberg’s machine after the grease of
money is gone and the gears start sticking. Bloomberg’s wealth, and his
generosity, “was protection money. In many
ways it inoculated him from potential criticism and stimulated people to
do things that they might not have or shouldn’t have done,” says Doug
Muzzio, a professor of public affairs at New York’s Baruch College.
“Now the pie is smaller and the needs are larger, in the end there’s
going to be enhanced conflict. And it’s going to take place in the halls
of City Hall. It’s going to be the old days.”* Mayor Bloomberg’s cash
and his willingness to spread it around, “was protection money,”
says Baruch College Prof. Doug Muzzio. De Blasio doesn’t have that kind
of personal wealth to silence critics and reward allies.

CitiBike Not Profitable Yet Bloomberg acknowledged that the
CitiBike program is not profitable yet, but said it has been successful
in terms of usage and praised it as a mass-transportation option that
doesn’t rely on state or federal money, the Post writes